Bother Inevitability
by redlettergirl
Summary: Some things are just bound to happen from the start. PeterCharmain, 1sentence challenge, theme set beta.


#01 – Walking

Charmain can't help but feel the slightest bit smug when Peter gets lost trying to find the shortcut from the Royal Mansion to Great-Uncle William's house; that'll teach him to laugh at her for taking the long way.

#02 – Waltz

They're both of the firm opinion that it was actually quite embarrassing the way Peter's mother trotted the two of them out onto the dance floor during the last royal ball, and neither are pleased with the rumors that result.

#03 – Wishes

She can see how desperately Peter wishes he could do a spell properly, and Charmain fancies herself less hardhearted these days; she casts a spell for him without his knowing, just once, to see the happy look in his eyes.

#09 – War

The two of them read a bit of Ingary's request for armaments over the king's shoulder, and, despite herself, she is soon gripping Peter's consolingly.

#14 – Burning

Her cheeks turn five shades of red when Mrs. Baker suggests that it isn't respectable for the two of them to be left alone together, and Charmain takes comfort in the way Peter chokes on his Afternoon Tea.

#18 – Balloon

It is when the Pendragons come to check on the status of High Norland that Calcifer makes a comment about how he's never heard of a royal wizard becoming queen, and Charmain knows that things have gotten much too far out of hand.

#15 – Breathing

If they're to keep the country alive and breathing, Princess Hilda asserts, some sacrifices will unfortunately have to be made; after a pause, Charmain sees Peter nod in agreement.

#17 – Belief

She can't help but think that 'Wizard Charming' has a nice ring to it, so Charmain is never so annoyed than when Peter corrects people's misconceptions with the much less pleasant title of 'Wizard Baker'.

#25 – Jester

During a formal luncheon with the Strangian ambassador, Peter makes a comment about how 'Wizard Charming' would be a better clown than a royal wizard; the next day, his hair mysteriously combusts.

#46 – Horizon

Strange, Charmain thinks as she stares into the sunset, that a place as far away as Strangia is causing them so many problems.

#38 – Sojourn

He spends the evening before he's due to meet his betrothed at Wizard Norland's house, and he contends that it is for no reason at all.

#08 – Whiskey and rum

Somewhere, Charmain thinks as she watches the alcohol turn Peter's face green, Wizard Howl is laughing at their future king's expense.

#28 – Joust

"It also functions as a sort of foreplay," Calcifer tells the king, and Charmain and Peter stop their bickering long enough to gawk at him in disbelief.

#06 – Whimsical

The king calls Peter's bride-to-be whimsical, bubbly, and kind; when the girl arrives, Charmain decides to stick with that description, lest she threaten the safety of the realm with a less flattering adjective.

#12 – Blessing

For all of a day, Charmain is glad that Peter will be gone so much more often, so she can get more work done; the next day, neither Waif nor Great-Uncle William, as much as they occupy her, can seem to fill the house.

#29 – Jewel

Charmain contends, even after spending the vast majority of her life buried in a book, that she never could have imagined a diamond as big as the one Princess Heather is wearing when next they meet.

#05 – Worry

She catches him glancing about from where she stands—stiff-backed, attempting regal near the path that his bride will soon be coming down—and does what she does best: fixes him with narrowed eyes, and nods toward where his attention should be.

#10 – Weddings

At the royal wedding of Crown Prince Peter Regis and Stangia's Princess Heather, Charmain finds herself deliberately sought out by Howl and handed the lyrics to a song he calls, "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face"; Sophie assures that she doesn't understand it, either.

#19 – Balcony

"I'm sure you like her more than you know," Charmain says, sprinkling the remains of one of her dress' flowery ornaments over the balcony's edge, "and now certainly isn't the time to stop trying."

#11 – Birthday

When Charmain returns the gift-wrapped package to the clueless prince, lecturing him on how a married man buying gifts for another woman is far from respectable, she neglects to mention how seeing it made her smile.

#26 – Jump

She wastes no time in snapping her hands closed over the horrible little Voxi, her magic sending it somewhere far away from Princess Heather's tragically mangled hair, and Charmain can't help but smile at the thought of what they'd do without her.

#31 – Smirk

He looks quite pleased with himself for successfully assembling a working divination spell for her to see, right before it explodes in his face.

#34 – Serenade

The people of High Norland sing their praises to Prince Peter, of how a simple marriage has secured the safety of not only their own country, but that of Ingary as well; Charmain rolls her eyes and gets back to work.

#22 – Quirks

Charmain is quite surprised to find while making nervous, barely-approaching-casual chatter with the new princess of High Norland, that the woman has no knowledge of her husband's fondness for brightly colored string.

#37 – Soliloquy

She hears him muttering about it to himself, concerns about his wife's inattention pouring out over his subpar spells, and the negative energy is even beginning to make Charmain's spells go awry.

#47 – Valiant

It seems, Charmain thinks as she turns to Peter with an irritated sigh, she will have to be the one to take up the helm of painful truth, here.

#45 – Natural

It would almost be reassuring, the way they move seamlessly from dead silence to fervent bickering, if only the current mood hadn't dictated it would be ending badly.

#16 – Breaking

For the first time since they were chidren—no, even then his insults were hardly of great consequence to her—the words he flings actually have a bit of bite, and she hopes hers sting just as badly.

#30 – Just

He deserves that comment about his mother—what a pathetic prince she'd raised! How disappointed she surely is!—and not even that niggling of guilt in her stomach will convince her differently.

#24 – Quarrel

It is when he asserts that Great-Uncle William and her parents only care out of obligation, if her miniscule list of close friends is anything to go by, she knows she is done.

#25 – Quitting

Though she's not nearly skilled enough to block the paths that Melicot created so long ago, she does the next best thing by messing up Peter's maps of the Mansion as much as possible and confiscating all the proper bits of string before she goes.

#40 – Solitary

Great-Uncle William only has to ask once if Charmain knows of Peter's whereabouts; the look she accidentally gives him provides all the answer he will ever need.

#39 – Share

A neighbor Great-Uncle William seems to know shares the rumors with the both of them, and neither is quite sure what to say.

#36 – Sordid

Charmain is of the opinion Princess Heather _and_ that servant should be drawn and quartered if they are ever found—such vile business deserves nothing less.

#13 – Bias

Then again, as Waif says in one odd tilt of her dog-brow, Charmain is far from impartial on the matter.

#41 – Nowhere

The instant Charmain hears that Peter has left the Mansion and is nowhere to be found, she sighs in exasperation and takes to the living room to wait.

#32 – Sorrow

"I haven't forgiven you," she says as she opens the door on the very downcast, very wet Crown Prince, and he understands.

#21 – Quiet

The whole place is uncomfortably quiet, with just the sound of Peter dripping as she busies herself summoning up Evening Tea.

#42 – Neutral

Great-Uncle William pops in just as they're plucking their first cups from the trolley, stays just long enough to nod his acknowledgment, before vanishing into the depths of the house.

#23 - Question

"Do you think she'll come back?" Peter asks; she answers by patting him on the shoulder and pointing out that he could use some drying off.

#20 – Bane

Of course, as always, he had to go and ruin it.

#04 – Wonder

"Ooh, stop doubting me, will you?" Charmain yelps as Peter disrupts her drying spell with one of his own, nearly setting both of them on fire.

#07 – Waste/Wasteland

"You're even wickeder than the Witch of the Waste," he spits in exasperation, "and you're not even useful enough to make up for it!"

#35 – Sarcasm

"Pardon me for trying to _help you_," she harps, angry magic at the tip of her fingers, "Prince Impossible!"

#33 – Nuance

She isn't sure how, but Charmain can't help but think that the way they insult each other in unison is somehow significant.

#44 – Near

By the time she realizes they're far too close for their own good—how far she has fallen!—it's too late.

#48 – Virtuous

Charmain has been a good, respectable girl all her life, and has held tight to her first kiss; however, somehow, she doesn't mind lending it to Peter overly much (though she begins to think him greedy when he takes her second, as well).

#49 – Victory

By the sixth, she begins to think that this kind of thing could grow on her.

#50 – Defeat

"Botheration!" Charmain swears, knowing that she will forever abhor the words, "I told you so."


End file.
